


Love Lessons

by vikgrim



Category: Angry Birds - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 17,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24654211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vikgrim/pseuds/vikgrim
Summary: After a breakup bums Red out, Leonard decides to lift him up by teaching him about flirting.
Relationships: Red/King Leonard Mudbeard (Angry Birds)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 76





	1. A Trip

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after the second movie.

“We just weren’t compatible in the end.” Silver shrugged as she buried herself back into her calculus textbook. Chuck had visited her in the field where birds usually go to have picnics. 

The yellow bird’s brows pointed downward. “Don’t tell me he broke your heart! How dare he reject my sister!” Silver chuckled and placed her wings over her brother’s fisted hands. “No, Chuck, he didn’t. I’m the one who broke up with him. It just wasn’t working out, but we’re still friends.” Chuck looked into his sister’s wide teal eyes. She seemed to be perfectly fine, but he was still going to have a big talk with Red. Agreeing to meet Silver for lunch tomorrow, Chuck waved her goodbye and sped off to the village to find his crimson friend. 

Chuck impatiently knocked on the wooden door of Red’s house, tapping his foot rapidly and taking notice of the new cactus plant in the front lawn. 

“Red!” He called out for his friend and heard an annoyed moan in response. Chuck sped to the window and pushed aside the giant palm leaf curtains. Inside the house, he found Red curled up in his nest facing the other way. A look of concern spread over the yellow bird’s face. “I’m going to need backup,” he said to himself as he rushed over to get his other best friend.

After breaking Bomb out of his mom’s house, the two walked back over to Red’s place. “Red seems pretty blue,” Chuck said. “What? He changed colors?” Bomb asked. The roadrunner just shook his head and knocked on the door once again. This time, a disheveled cardinal opened the door. He held a chipped Mighty Eagle coffee mug and there were dark bags under his eyes. Ignoring Red’s current state, Chuck tried to sound cheerful. “Hey hey hey! How’s it going?” 

“Fine.” The red bird replied, as monotone as ever. 

Bomb inched closer. “How are you feeling, buddy? I heard about the breakup.” Chuck nudged the black bird with his elbow, but noticed that his depressed friend started to speak. “I, um,” Red fumbled, “Well, yeah, it’s a little disappointing. But, uh, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

Chuck and Bomb looked at each other, and then back at Red. “Alright, I know what you need.” The yellow roadrunner placed his hand on his hips, a smile creeping over his beak. “A Boy’s Night Out!” he yelled, followed by Bomb pumping his fist and going “Yeah, Boy’s Night Out!” Bomb was bouncing up and down and Chuck’s tail was wagging rapidly. Red looked at the two enthusiastic birds in front of him. He was too tired for this. He already felt a headache coming on. But just as he was about to reject their idea, he heard a voice in the back of his mind.

♪ _All by myself  
Don’t wanna be all by myself _♪

Shaking his head from the thought of his friends abandoning him, Red reluctantly agreed to their Boy’s Night Out. 

“YES!” his two buddies screamed, causing him to step back and cover the sides of his head. This was going to be a long night. “So, where are we going?” Red asked unenthusiastically.

Chuck looked up and tapped his chin, despite having full idea of where he wanted to go. “I was thinking…” he paused for suspense, which annoyed Red very much. “PIG CITY!”

Red’s eyes widened. “WHAT?! Pig city? On piggy island? With the pigs? Are you crazy?!”

Chuck and Bomb knew he would react like this. “Come on,“ Bomb offered, “we have a truce, remember? Plus we just finished saving the world with them!” 

There go those big black eyebrows pointing down. “We teamed up ONE time, only because their island was at stake as well. It’s not like we all became best friends!” 

“Aw come on!” Chuck slumped so low, he was practically on the ground. “Please? They have hot dogs and I LOVE hot dogs!” The little bird wagged his tail at the thought of his favorite food.

“What are the hot dogs even made out of?” questioned Red.

“Not my concern.” Chuck quickly stated.

Red still wasn’t buying it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. They could be plotting to steal our eggs again as we speak!” 

Bomb and Chuck shook their heads at their stubborn friend. “Alright,” Chuck sighed. “If you’re SO concerned about them stealing our eggs again, how about we go spy on them?”

Red crossed his wings and remembered a conversation that he once had with the king of pigs. “Drones? And do you spy on us with those?” the bird had asked. “Yes.” Leonard was quick to answer. Red shuddered at the memory. If the pigs were using their drones to spy on the birds, then surely they had to keep an eye on the pigs too. “Alright,” the cardinal announced. “We’ll go on a mission to see what the pigs are up to.”

“And grab hot dogs on the way, right?” Chuck asked.

“Fine. We’ll pretend we’re just visiting so they won’t suspect us.”

Chuck rolled his eyes, and Bomb shook his head. Some Boy’s Night this will turn out to be.


	2. Bird's Day Out

The trio traveled to their destination by slingshot. Chuck and Bomb talked about how excited they were, but Red was silent, his face full of determination. He had only one goal in mind: to figure out what the pigs were planning and put a stop to it.

When they arrived at Pig City Harbor, they spotted a familiar pig. Red squinted his eyes at Leonard and tried to hear what he was saying, until a loud yell pierced his ear opening. “HI LEONARD!” Chuck waved, but Red snatched his arm away. “What are you doing?” he whispered through clenched teeth.

The birds heard a hefty laugh draw near and looked up to see Leonard raising his arms to greet them. “Well, look what we have here! If it isn’t my three favorite birds. What brings you to Piggy Island?” 

“We’re taking Red out to cheer him up from his breakup!” The roadrunner explained, making Red’s face fall. He had completely forgotten what this trip was actually for, and now he suddenly felt a wave of pain. 

Leonard frowned and raised a curious eyebrow at the sight of the sad bird. “A breakup, eh?” He paused looking at the cardinal, but quickly returned to his performative cheerfulness. “Well, there’s plenty of fun things to do on Piggy Island! I hope you boys find what you’re looking for.” Leonard waved goodbye, keeping an eye on the trio as they walked away. 

”Interesting…” he whispered to himself.

Bomb leaned a wing on his crimson companion. “You look distressed, pal. Don’t worry, we’re going to have a great time.”

“Okay, whatever you say buddy.” He replied softly, putting worried looks on his friends’ faces.

Chuck gasped as he noticed a building ahead of them. “I know what you need: A soft little friend to hug!” They all looked up at the sign that read “Build-a-Boar Workshop.” The black and yellow birds squealed with excitement, but Red was unimpressed. “You expect me to make a pig plushie? Hard pass.” He was just about to walk away when Chuck grabbed his wing and pulled him into the store. It was a huge, loud space with lots of little piglets running around. "Mommy, I want that one!" they heard one of them yell while another one was crying hysterically. The whole store echoed the loud noises of these children. Red winced at their piercing screams as his friends dragged him to the first station.

“So, wait,” the cardinal wondered out loud, “First you choose a corpse, then you stuff it with that white fluffy cotton, and then you put clothes on it?” 

“Don’t forget the part where you make a wish to a little heart and put it in your pig.” Bomb replied, choosing the stuffed animal he wanted while Red continued complaining. “Guys, these are all just random pigs. Director Pig, Wizpig, Moustache Pig?” 

“Aww look! This one looks just like Leonard!” Chuck pointed up the display rack to a chubby, bearded doll that was fitted with a golden crown and a fluffy red cape. “We’re going to get that one for you, Red!”

The cardinal took a step back. “What?! Why?” But his friends didn’t answer and just went along to the stuffing station. After taking time to choose accessories for their pigs, Chuck and Bomb happily left the store with Red tailing behind, who was grudgingly holding his new King Leonard plush.

They continued to walk around the city and stopped at a movie theater, which, surprisingly, the crimson bird agreed to go into. “Alright Red, since it’s your night, you get to choose the movie.” Bomb pointed up at the movie selections:

_Inside Snout  
Lard of the Rings  
Captain Hamerica: The First Avenger  
The Secret Life of Pigs  
Spider-Pig: Far From Ham  
Jurassic Pork  
The Swining  
Harry Porker and the Prisoner of Askabacon  
The Angry Pigs Movie_

“Do you think Captain Hamerica is as good as Avengers: Hen Game?” Chuck whispered. “I don’t know, man. “ Red shrugged. “Are you guys up for the Angry Pigs Movie, whatever that is?” They all agreed to watch the comedy about some pigs being hungry or whatever. It actually turned out to be pretty funny. The trio walked out of the theater with smiles on their faces.

“And when the bird came out of the ship and was like ‘I...am a bird.’ And the pigs didn’t know what a bird was! That was hilarious!” Chuck laughed until he heard the sound of Bomb’s stomach grumbling. He pointed across the street to Mudbucks Coffee, and the three agreed to grab a drink there.

“This tastes more like pure sugar than coffee.” Red said, sipping his frappuccino, ”But it’s not bad.” His friends laughed and sipped their drinks in agreement. They continued to walk around the area until they finally found it, what Chuck has been waiting for. The yellow bird almost dropped his drink rushing over to Nathan’s Hamous Hot Dogs. His friends followed close behind.

“So is it pronounced Nathan’s Hay-mus or Ham-us? And should we ask what the hot dogs are made out of?” The trio chuckled while waiting in line. “I’m glad you’re feeling like yourself again, buddy.” Bomb commented. Red agreed, thankful for his two best buds. The day didn’t turn out to be a disaster like he thought it would...

They got their food and found a table outside. It was a lovely warm day in Pig City, and the sun would soon be setting over the horizon. The trio was having a great time talking over hot dogs, and even their plushies got their own seats beside them. 

“These hot dogs are fantastic.” Chuck said, rubbing his round stomach. “Bomb and I are going to get seconds. You want anything?”

“Wait, we are?” Bomb asked. The roadrunner placed his wing over his friend’s beak and gave an unconvincing chuckle. “Yes! We are.” He smiled nervously at the crimson bird across from them, who just ignored the odd behavior. After all, Chuck always acts weird. “Uh, no thanks. I’m stuffed.” He said, contently finishing off his hot dog with ketchup. With that, his two buddies got up and went back in line, leaving him alone to gaze at the sky.

In his peripheral vision, Red spotted his King Leonard plush in the seat next to him. He stared at those piggy eyes, then looked up to see the actual Leonard’s castle, and finally his gaze fell back to the doll. A sneaky grin formed on the bird’s face.

”I mean he seems to be in a good mood. Yeah, let’s do it.” Bomb whispered as the two of them returned to the table with more hot dogs. “Hey, guys, I’ve got a great idea!” Red announced, pointing in the distance. “If there are any secrets to be found, it’s going to be in that castle. I say we sneak in there and find out what the pigs are up to!” He expected to see the excited faces of his friends agreeing with his idea, but he only saw two forlorn birds shifting their gazes between him and each other. “Guys, why the long faces? I thought we agreed to spy on the pigs.” Red stopped pointing and lowered his wing, perplexed by his friends’ worried looks.

The two birds in front of him glanced at each other once more. “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about, Red.” Bomb started as they sat down. “We have some... concerns.”

Now the cardinal understood. “About the breakup? Guys, I’m fine!” 

“Not about that...” Chuck intervened. 

Well now Red was utterly confused. “About what then?” The others avoided his gaze until he couldn’t take it anymore. “Well? Spit it out!”

“You’re too worried about the pigs!” Chuck blurted. 

“What he means is,” Bomb stated, “You’re just always on edge and so mistrustful of the pigs. But we’re all at peace now, Red. We had a truce and the Great Egg War is over. You have to move on.”

The angry cardinal in front of them couldn’t believe it. “Wha-Great Egg War? There’s a name to it now? Have you guys forgotten that they STOLE OUR YOUNG?!”

Chuck motioned him to calm down. “We know, but things have changed. Everyone on the three islands are all on good terms now. And the pigs haven’t made a move on our eggs since that first time.”

“But I know they’re up to something! I can feel it!”

“Did you SEE them be up to something? Or do you just want to save the day again?” Chuck’s comment quieted the group.

Red’s eyes widened and a painful expression fell on his face, which quickly turned to anger. He scoffed and yanked himself out of his seat, fighting back tears. Looking back at the castle, he decided that he was going to prove them wrong. 

“We all still love you, Red! You don’t have to always be fighting some enemy! Red!” Bomb’s voice faded away as the crimson bird rushed towards the castle. As the sky turned dark, Red ran further and further away from his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will post the next chapter soon!


	3. Making an Appointment

Red wiped his face as he neared the side of the castle. The whole thing looked structurally unsound, with many protruding walls and towers hanging off of each other. Red grimaced at the giant posters of the king and thought about his friends, who he was determined to prove wrong. Searching around for a way to get in, he spotted an open window a few floors up, and there were just enough bricks sticking out to get up there. He took a worried gulp and carefully started up the wall. After a while of hoisting himself up and almost slipping midway, Red finally yanked himself over the window. 

He paused to catch his breath- he was never really an athletic bird -until he heard a sound coming from the next hallway. He quickly pressed himself up against the nearest wall and slowly peaked around the corner. There was no one in the hallway, but there were noises coming from one slightly open door. Red looked around him to make sure there were no pigs and crept over to the door. He heard a loud voice coming from the room. 

“They are gonna get it!” It was none other than the dastardly King Mudbeard.

“I knew it!” Red whispered to himself. That pig is up to something! He snuck closer to the opening in the doorway and slowly peeked inside. Suddenly, Red’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped. He was utterly horrified with what he was seeing!

In the room, Leonard wore a bright pink leotard and leg warmers. “Feel the burn, calves!” He yelled to himself as he bent down in an attempt to touch his toes. His large backside, which wasn’t even covered by the leotard, was all Red could see.

The bird quickly pulled himself away, a loud “AGH!” escaping his beak. Before he could process what just happened, he heard the squeak of the door opening and looked up to see Leonard right in front of him. Red stepped back, a pinch of fear overtaking him. He was practically half the pig’s size.

“Aha! I caught you red-handed!” Leonard pointed at the cardinal in front of him.

“What is he gonna do to me?” The bird wondered, trying to be intimidating with his face and stance, but failing miserably.

The pig let out a huge snort. “Get it? Red-handed? Because your hands are red? HEH HAHAHA!” His thunderous laugh spooked the bird, as well as confused him.

“But seriously,” said Leonard, “I know why you’re here.”

Red raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Of course,” the pig roared, inching even closer to the bird, “You’ve come to me for advice!”

“For what?”

Leonard placed his hooves on his hips. “Oh don’t play dumb with me. You feel bad after your breakup and you’ve come to me, knowing how charming and handsome I am, for advice on how to woo the ladies!”

Red stared in astonishment at the narcissistic pig. He was about to tell him off until he realized that he didn’t have another excuse for snooping around the castle. He just had to go with it, and maybe he could gather intel on the pig’s plans while he’s at it. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, they always say.

“Uh, yup. You got me,” Red said, giving a fake smile. “I could totally use your advice.”

“Smart bird. Although, it’s a little late now to start teaching you. How about I come by tomorrow?”

“Um...sure.” Red reluctantly agreed.

Leonard placed a hoof on the bird’s back and motioned him towards the exit. “Excellent! See you tomorrow!” He waved goodbye as the cardinal walked away. Two piggy guards opened the large castle doors and slammed them shut behind him. Red stood alone at the entrance, gazing at the city before him. A dark sky blanketed Piggy Island as he walked through the quiet streets to get to the harbor. Once he arrived, he pulled himself back on the slingshot and flung himself over the ocean. During his silent trip in the sky, he could see the large bright moon and its wavy reflection over the water.

He landed on his feet on Bird Island. His old home had been cleared away from the beach where he stood. Dragging himself towards the village, Red thought about his day. It was a roller coaster. First he was bummed about the breakup, and then his friends managed to cheer him up but they ended up having a fight. And he still couldn’t process what happened at the castle. Was he seriously going to have a piggy visitor tomorrow? He didn’t even want to think about it. 

Once he got home, he immediately plopped himself down in his nest, which felt so soft after the rough day he just had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be up later this week. (The flirting lessons finally begin!) Thanks for reading!


	4. Wooing Lessons

The sunlight shone brightly through the window. Red put his wing over his eyes as he squinted himself awake and pulled himself out of his nest. Fixing himself up some seeds and berries, he stared into space and thought about the events of yesterday while he ate.

“Did you SEE them be up to something? Or do you just want to save the day again?” Chuck’s words replayed in his head, and they still stung. “Times have changed,” his friends told him, “You have to move on.” Red thought about how things went on after they saved the islands from Zeta. Many eagles moved to Bird Island and some even to Piggy Island. He’s seen Matilda’s hatchlings having play dates with a group of piglets, and there were a few other pigs roaming around Bird Island sometimes. Maybe his friends had a point…

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock on his door. Here we go. The cardinal rolled his eyes and walked over to the door, not really wanting to open it. It wasn’t until he heard another knock that he finally pulled the knob to find the pig he expected to see.

“Hey, Red! Are you ready for...um..” Leonard paused to look at something that was behind Red, and the bird turned around slowly to see what he was staring at. A terrified look formed on his face as he saw the King Leonard plushie that was in his nest. He rushed over to the doll and quickly threw it out the window while yelling “IT’S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!” Leonard smiled at the scene. He was about to comment until he remembered that embarrassing time when everyone saw a slideshow of his selfies. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.” he said instead.

Red came back to the doorway and tried not to think about the fact that he had slept with the plush without realizing it. He reluctantly welcomed the pig into his home. “Try not to wreck my house again,” he warned.

“Oh, come on,” Leonard casually objected, “It was only one time.”

“It was three times, actually.” Red watched the pig as he landed on his couch, taking up the whole thing, so he pulled up a chair to sit in front of him, a good distance away.

“Alright, Red, let’s get down to it. First, I need to know what I’m working with. Tell me how you would approach a cute birdie you see on the street.”

“You’re kidding, right?” The cardinal crossed his arms.

“Nope. How would you go about it?”

Red rolled his eyes. “I don’t know. Go up and say hi?”

“WRONG!” Leonard got up and pulled a free-standing chalkboard out of nowhere. Red looked around the room in confusion. He had never owned a chalkboard. Did he bring that with him or something?

The pig wrote “Lesson #1” on the board and continued writing some simplified notes as he spoke. “First, you need an attractive smile. Show me what you got, Crimson.”

“Very funny, Lime Green.” The sassy bird shot back, a huge frown on his face.

Leonard put a hoof to his chin. “Hmm, that attitude’s got to go.”

“What?!” Red quickly stood up to object but the pig lightly pushed him back in the chair and gave him a few pats on the shoulder.

“Come on, give me your best smile.” The pig insisted, causing Red to snare his teeth in a mocking smile. Obviously he wasn’t cooperating.

“Okay, we’ll work on the smile later.” He turned back to the board. “Once you get her attention, you should start with a compliment. Then you ask for her name and repeat it back. People always love to hear their names. Allow me to demonstrate.” He stood in front of the bird and bent down to lean closer. “Why hello there, beautiful,” he said in a deeper voice than usual, “I couldn’t help but notice what lovely feathers you have. What’s your name, dear?”

Red stared back in astonishment at the pig who was now only a few inches away. He struggled to back away in his chair and hide the slight blush forming on his face. Leonard smirked and took a moment to soak in the bird’s bashfulness. He was pretty cute when he wasn’t foiling plans.

“Red, you say?” Leonard continued, “Well, Red, would you care to have dinner with me today or tomorrow?” He didn’t let the bird respond to his rhetorical flirting and instead returned to the chalkboard. “Now what you witnessed there is called the ‘Alternate Choice Close’. Instead of asking whether or not you would like to have dinner, I asked whether you would like to have it today or tomorrow. Never ask yes or no questions, it gives the other person a chance to say no.”

Red adjusted himself to recover from the flirting he just received, which had a much bigger effect on him than he would care to admit. “Isn’t that a little unfair?” he asked.

“You want to succeed, don’t you? You gotta score points wherever you can.” Leonard casually replied, keeping his eyes on what he was writing.

Red raised an eyebrow and put his hands up. “Wait, wait, wait. Are relationships just a game to you?”

“Keep your eyes on the prize, birdie. Now here’s the next one, the ‘Porcupine Close’.”

“What the heck is a porcupine?” The cardinal asked.

“It’s a spiky animal.”

“Like a sea urchin?”

“That’s not important, it’s just the name of the close. Now pay attention. The Porcupine Close is when you answer a question with another question. You want to always be gaining information that will help you out, and this can really get you somewhere.”

Red of course hated this whole situation, but he was kind of intrigued. “How does it work?” he asked, slightly genuine.

“Let’s go back to my example-” 

“Umm how about we don’t?” Red interrupted nervously, but of course Leonard continued anyway.

“So I asked to take you out to dinner. Then let’s say you ask me, ‘Where would you even take me to dinner?,’ sarcastically like you always are. I would reply with ‘Where would you like me to take you?’ That way you would just tell me where you want to go, and I would take you there. It’s a win-win!”

Leonard finished writing and turned behind him. “Now, if you were handsome enough and played your cards right, you would have gotten a date by now. But...” he paused to inspect the cardinal, “Are you considered an attractive bird?”

Red was a little taken aback by that question. Is he an attractive bird? “I-I don’t know. I’m okay, I guess. Hopefully.” Leonard raised his eyebrow at that response. He thought about it for a moment until an idea struck him. “Oh, I see. You’re insecure. Well don’t worry, there are plenty of weirdos out there for guys like you!”

The bird was getting tired of this. “Gee, thanks. So very encouraging. Can this lesson be-wha? Hey, what are you doing?” He got up and followed the pig who was going through all of his stuff. “Haven’t you already made a mess of my house?!” he raged. Leonard ignored him and continued scavenging. He stopped after opening a drawer near the desk. It was full of Mighty Eagle drawings, paintings, and sculptures. “Hey it’s that big guy, Ethan.” His hoof picked up one little statue of the eagle looking incredibly muscular. “Why do you depict him...like that?” he asked with a puzzled expression.

Red sighed and looked at the sculpture, his face softening as he remembered back when Mighty Eagle was just an imaginary figure. “Well, before you guys came to the island, no one had ever seen him before,” he explained, “He was more like a myth.”

“And now he’s the local nut job, huh?” Leonard joked, scoring a little chuckle from the bird in front of him.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Red grinned, until his eyes returned to the statuette. “I always wanted to believe that a hero was hiding in his cave, waiting for trouble to strike so he could save the day.” he sighed, losing himself in reminiscence.

“But they sent you instead.” Leonard interjected, causing the bird to snap out of his daze. 

“What?” 

“When the eagle guy didn’t come, all the birds sent you to the castle to stop me. You were leading them, weren’t you? I saw it myself.”

Red looked down and thought about that for a moment. He did lead the birds to get the eggs back. He got in the castle, stopped the villain, and saved the day. He was the hero waiting in his cave all along. A smile formed on his beak. “Yeah,” he replied. ” I spent years believing in someone else, all the while never believing in me. But I guess I turned out to be the hero that I was waiting for.” He imagined telling his hatchling self about the person he turned out to be, the savior of the island.

Leonard stared at the smiling bird. He sounded like some emotional guy giving a mushy speech at the end of a movie, but he looked quite confident. He decided to encourage him, for the wooing lessons of course, not because he enjoyed that satisfied little grin of his. 

“So you _can_ smile.” he prodded.

Red realized what he was doing and turned away in embarrassment. “Yeah, don’t get used to it.” he muttered softly with a slight smirk on his face.

Leonard chuckled. He wanted to stare longer, but he was there to get Red a date with someone else. He sighed and dropped the sculpture back in the drawer. “So, you’re pretty good at art, huh? You could impress some chicks with that. You know, ‘Paint me like one of your French girls.’” Leonard’s eyebrows bounced up and down, but Red only stared back in confusion. “You got any other talents?” the pig questioned, trying to move on.

The flattered bird smiled. “Talents? Oh I don’t think I’m really that good at anything else…” But Leonard ignored his humbleness and went searching for more of Red’s hidden talents. Opening one of the closets, he found a sleek wooden instrument. “You can play guitar?” he asked, growing excited.

“I can play a little.” the bird shrugged.

”This is perfect! Girls love musicians. Heck, everyone loves musicians! How about tomorrow you drop by and a pal of mine will teach you a few songs?”

“Oh, um, sure.”

“Excellent!” the pig clapped his hooves, “Now’s a good place to stop anyway. Keep that confidence of yours up, you’ll need it.” he gave Red a wink and walked out the door. “See you tomorrow!”

The bird just gave a little wave as he tried not to think too much about that wink. “Yet another roller coaster of a day,” he thought to himself.


	5. Soft Sounds

Leonard went home last night thinking too much about that bird.

The next morning, he shuffled on his red tracksuit and went with Ross to Swine Sound Studios, where he called upon the one and only Bacon Shelton to meet with him. 

“Shelton! Glad you could make it!” Leonard raised his arms to greet him, but the moody singer just flipped his hair and asked when “the bird” was going to be here. “Celebrities…” Ross muttered under his breath while rolling his eyes. 

“He’ll be here any minute.” Leonard tried to assure them.

Shelton grabbed an acoustic guitar and sat down on the nearest couch. “He better not be new at this. I’m not teaching a whole beginner how to play a song. What do you want me to teach him anyway?”

Now Leonard became excited. As annoying as the singer was, he produced a lot of hits that the whole island loved. Leonard thought about them all until finally deciding which song would make a sweet ballad. “How about that song of yours, ‘Nobody But You’?” Shelton nodded as if to say, “Good choice,” and started playing around with his guitar as he waited. But Ross was a little taken aback by Leonard’s answer. He pulled the king aside and whispered, “Sir, your favorite song?”

“Yes, that song. It’s my favorite song for a reason. It’s a good song. Just happens to be my favorite song. Just a coincidence.” He clicked his hooves together and gave a nervous smile.

Ross eyed him suspiciously. “It’s a very romantic song, sir.”

“Yes, that’s the point.“ Leonard played it off. “I’m teaching him how to get a date.”

Ross raised an eyebrow. “Why?” But Leonard ignored him and moved towards the entrance. 

“Here he is!” Leonard announced, relieved that Red was finally here.

“Hey,” the cardinal waved as he came in holding his guitar. Leonard motioned him to the couch and introduced him. “This is Bacon Shelton, the biggest country singer on the island!“ Red had no idea what ‘country singer’ meant but he sat down anyway. “Uh, nice to meet you.” he said, holding out his wing. Shelton ignored it and cut to the chase. “Let’s see what you got, birdie.”

Leonard and Ross sat across the room watching the two guitar players from afar. Leonard had a gentle smile as he watched the Red pick up the chords quickly. He was a natural. 

Ross eyed his king, who was acting quite strangely. He and the birds were in prank wars only a few weeks ago. Now he was helping one of them out? And why was he looking at that bird like he’s in love? Ross decided to find out. “Um, you got pretty close to him, huh?” he inquired.

“Close?” Leonard repeated, avoiding eye contact, “No! I’ve only been to his house twice!”

“You’ve been to his house? Wait, is that where you were yesterday?”

The king was in a nervous sweat now. “Only to teach him about dating!”

“Why?” Ross asked again, determined to get an answer this time. Leonard became quiet. He never really thought about why he was so eager to help the bird. Red was so annoying when the pigs first came to Bird Island, but to be fair, his suspicions were correct. Then he annoyingly stopped his egg feast, but since then he learned why the eggs are so important to the birds. Then they spent weeks in prank wars, but that was pretty fun actually. They even butted heads while saving the world from Zeta, but it was all good in the end. “Wow,” Leonard whispered to himself. He hadn’t noticed how much he’s been through with Red. He’s come to know the bird pretty well. He’s so stubborn and sarcastic and sassy and...a fighter. Now it made sense! Red never accepts defeat, but the other day he was at Pig City Harbor looking so...defeated.

“Sir?” Ross interrupted his thoughts.

“What?” Leonard snapped out of his daze.

Ross gave an annoyed sigh. “Can I know why you’re helping him?” he asked for the third time.

“Oh…” Leonard pondered whether or not to tell the truth, but seeing Red pluck the sweet notes of his favorite song made him go soft, and he decided that he didn’t feel like lying today. 

“At the harbor, he just looked so sad.” he admitted as he gazed at the bird. “I hated seeing him like that.”

Ross was astonished. He’d never seen the king so gentle. He turned to Red and wondered what Leonard saw in him. “Well I guess it doesn’t matter,” he thought to himself, “as long as he makes him happy.”


	6. Accusations

“Wait, lyrics?” Red was slightly concerned about this. He wasn’t much of a singer.

“Yeah, let me give you the melodies, then you can take this lyric sheet and memorize the words on your own.” Shelton handed the bird a piece of paper. One look at it caused him to blush under his feathers. 

“I don’t wanna live without you?” his eyes scrolled down the page, “Wanna wake up with you next to me?" He looked up at Shelton. "What is this?”

“The king said you wanted to woo somebody, right? This is the perfect song to serenade.” 

“Serenade?” Now the bird started to regret what he was getting into. He was excited to learn a new song, since there aren’t that many on Bird Island, but was he actually going to sing those romantic lyrics?

Shelton finished up teaching how the lyrics are meant to be sung. “Alright, that’s my time,” he said. “King Mudbeard can hook you up with the record if you ever want to hear it again. Catch you on the flipside, birdie.” And with that, the celebrity put on his sunglasses and left the studio. Red turned to find Leonard and Ross walking towards him.

“Well, how did it go?” the king asked. “It sounded pretty great from what I heard.”

“Yeah, the chords are pretty nice. But the lyrics are so painfully romantic. Plus, I don’t even sing.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” Leonard had no idea of Red’s actual singing ability, but he really wanted to hear him play his favorite song. “Why don’t you practice and run it by me tomorrow?”

The cardinal didn’t want anything to do with those lyrics. He was thinking hard about how to call it off until the pig spoke again.

“Meet me at the castle tomorrow afternoon. See you then!” With that, Leonard and Ross left the studio. Now Red didn’t have any choice, did he? He had to come back the next day, but this time they would meet at the castle, where he could finally find out what the pigs are up to.

After making his way back home, Red noticed that his front door was slightly open. Even though burglary was rare on Bird Island, this still sent his feathers up in a chill. He approached slowly, imagining himself punching anyone who broke into his not-very-secure house, and took a peek inside. No one was there.

He turned on the light and closed the door behind him, still unsure. Looking around, he spotted the King Leonard plushie back in his nest, even though he hadn’t touched it since he threw it out the window yesterday. Someone definitely came here.

“HI RED!” 

He jumped back and let out a huge scream as Chuck and Bomb burst through his closet. The sour-noted bang from his guitar hitting the ground spooked him as well. At this point he was a fluffy ball of feathers from being so on edge.

“Where were you today, Red?” Chuck asked. 

“Somewhere with his guitar,” Bomb noted.

“Yes, Bomb, thank you.” the roadrunner turned to his crimson friend. “Sooooo, we came by this morning and saw that you weren’t home. Then, going to the beach, we couldn’t help but notice a red bird take the slingshot to Piggy Island.” A huge smirk formed over his long beak.

“Um, that must have been some other red bird,” the cardinal denied.

“Uhuh, that’s funny because he looked just like you.” The two watched as Red fumbled trying to find a lie to tell, until Chuck couldn’t take it anymore. “Oh, just tell us where you were already!”

“Look, he had a piece of paper, too.” Bomb pointed to the floor where the lyric sheet fell. Red’s face flushed just thinking about his friends reading the song. He tried his best to pick it up, but of course he couldn’t beat the yellow speedster. His buddies scrolled through the words as he hid his face in embarrassment, miserably waiting for their reaction. Finally, he heard Chuck’s loud gasp. “A guitar, plus this love letter-” “It’s not a love letter.” “-equals……” he paused for suspense.

“YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE!” he squealed in excitement as Red gave a tired sigh. 

“So, who’s the lucky pig?” the roadrunner’s tail wagged rapidly.

“No one. I’m not in love with anyone, and you seem to have forgotten that I don’t trust pigs!” the angry bird snatched the lyric sheet back and picked up his guitar.

“Well obviously you’re using ‘I don’t trust the pigs’” he placed his fingers over his brows to mimic Red, “as a cover up to hide the fact that you’re dating one! You had us in the first half, not gonna lie, but you’re going to have to wake up pretty early to fool ol’ Chuck and Bomb.” He crossed his arms, satisfied with his sleuthing skills. 

“Well obviously you’re only fooling yourself because that’s all wrong.” He glared down his friend, who didn’t seem phased by his anger at all.

“Then explain the love letter.” Chuck asked with his wings on his hips.

Red gave another sigh. “It’s...a song. A pig song. I’m learning a new song. There aren’t that many on Bird Island so I’m learning from a famous singer over there.” His eyebrows had relaxed and he looked down, hoping his friends would accept his explanation and drop the embarrassing accusations. If he was honest, he actually was starting to feel something for a particular pig, but he wanted to push those feelings deep inside and deny them furiously. To his relief, Chuck asked to hear the song.

“Have you practiced yet?” Bomb asked, sitting on the couch eager to hear it.

“Well I’ve got the instrumental down, I just need to practice the lyrics. It goes something like this.” Red sat down in his chair and began the song.

Chuck sat criss cross on the floor, excited to hear his crimson friend sing and play guitar. He had no idea he could do that! He still fully believed that Red was having a bit of an affair, and he had a theory that it might be with a certain royal swine. But he never expected the cardinal to admit any of his feelings, so he just let him be. For now.


	7. Bonding

Red held on tight to his guitar as he flung himself to Piggy Island. Thanks to his friends, he got a great deal of practice yesterday and had just about mastered the song. All he had to do now was perform it for Leonard. He gulped at the thought, suddenly feeling butterflies in his stomach.

As he approached the castle, two piggy guards opened the large doors for him and bowed as if he were royalty. That was way easier than sneaking in through the window. Confused, yet flattered, Red walked in to find Leonard standing in his kingly attire. The doors shut behind Red, causing Leonard’s voice to beam loudly in the throne room. 

“Welcome, Red of Bird Island.” He raised his arms and announced his arrival, even though there was no one else in the room. 

With that fluffy red cape and tall crown, he tried to seem like a grand and important figure, but Red knew better. He was just a silly, narcissistic, charming little pig under all that glamour, and that thought comforted the bird a bit.

“What’s with the grand entrance?” Red employed his signature sassiness, which put a smile on the pig’s face.

“Well, any guest of the king must be pretty special, and deserves a grand entrance.”

Red rolled his eyes, slightly blushing underneath his feathers.

“Come on, we have a little music studio of our own here in the castle.” Leonard motioned Red to follow him. ”It’s smaller than Swine Sound, but it’s still good for performing.” 

The two of them made their way towards the castle’s music room. As they walked, Red noticed that Leonard held a golden staff with a snout on the tip of it, which he couldn’t help but comment on.

“You know, the outfit isn’t fooling anyone, Leonard.” The bird smirked.

“You mean it’s not fooling you,” the pig replied. “This attire happens to be very important among pigs. One time my dad lost his crown and he was kicked out the castle! Nobody recognized him until he got his crown back. I told you they’re quite simple folk.” They laughed together at how ridiculous pigs can be.

“You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if the birds fell for something like that, too.” Red stated.

Leonard turned to face his guest. “You must be the smartest among them.”

“Ah well…” The bird rolled his eyes and gave a flattered wave of his hand.

“Look at us, we’re both the genius of our own island!” Leonard exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Red chuckled, once again amused by the pig’s confidence.

After his laugh faded away, an awkward silence ensued. Not possessing a lot of social skills, Red had endured plenty of these before. Leonard, on the other hand, was going nuts internally. He’s the charmer, for pig’s sake, he’s good with words. But for some reason, he just couldn’t find anything to say that might impress the bird. He wanted desperately to make him laugh again.

The two simply looked around at the ornate walls. When they turned the corner, Red noticed that they had stumbled upon a series of paintings. Portraits of royal swines hung on the walls, bordered by golden frames. Red loved paintings, and he couldn’t help but be impressed by how well these were rendered.

“Hey, uh,” he cleared his throat and pointed his wing towards the artworks, “These are really nice.” 

Leonard snapped out of his internal crisis. “Oh! Yes, this is the family Porktrait Gallery, filled with many generations of Mudbeards.”

“Porktrait Gallery?” Red’s brows furrowed. ”Isn’t that unnecessary? Can’t you just say portrait?”

“Hey, I didn’t make it up.” Leonard raised his hooves as a gesture of innocence. He looked at the paintings as they walked, grateful that they captured the bird’s attention. “So, I see you like art. That makes sense, since you’re pretty good at it yourself. I take it you go to museums often?”

Red scoffed. “There’s only one museum on Bird Island: The Museum of Happiness. And it’s always filled with pictures of smiling birds. But these give off a different vibe.” He stared at one particular pig in a sharp, blue suit that was covered in medals and had tassels hanging off the shoulders. He wore a matching blue hat and had a serious look on his face. “They give off a regal look, one of importance. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“That’s the point,” Leonard stated. “Paintings like these are meant to show off one’s wealth and status, and show them who’s boss on Piggy Island.”

“Wow.” The bird said quietly, making Leonard really happy. Nobody else gave his Porktrait Gallery a single glance, which was a shame because he loved showing off his fancy things.

“I’ll have to show you more art sometime. We’ve got paintings and sculptures, a ton of stuff around the castle and the courtyard.”

“That...sounds nice.” Red stated, surprised that he genuinely wanted to go somewhere with Leonard. The two smiled as they continued down the hall and gazed at the paintings, stopping at the most recent one. Red chuckled and pointed at the derpy portrait of Leonard, in which he sat in his throne and had an enormously wide grin, with his teeth jutting out from his bottom lip. There were three little pigs with wings floating around him.

“That one’s just silly.” Red pointed.

“Oh come on, now.” Leonard’s southern drawl coming out in his lighthearted objection. “I kind of like the angels.”

“What’s with that face? Even your selfies were better.” The bird joked.

Leonard smirked. “So you like my selfies, huh?”

“No!” Red put his hands on his hips. “Hey, where’d you get that costume of me, by the way?”

Suddenly Leonard’s smile faded, sweat forming on his brow as he tried to find an explanation. “Well I just..I was mocking you!” He lied.

Now it was Red’s turn to smirk. “Wow, I’ve never heard you stutter before. Look at smooth-talking Leonard now!” He swayed his hips, giving his signature sass, but his joy didn’t last long.

“Oh yeah? I’d like to hear why you have a plush of me in your bed!” The pig was in full competitive mode now, excited to get one over on the bird. He hadn’t had this much fun since their last prank war.

Red suddenly blushed, embarrassed that Leonard ever saw that doll. “Hey, I didn’t want it! My friends bought it for me.”

“And why would they do that?”

The cardinal frowned and raised his hands in frustration. “I don’t know, they’re crazy! I can’t explain everything they do!” 

A second of silence ensued, until Leonard started laughing his southern, bellowing laugh that went “HEH HEH HEH!” Red lowered his arms and stared. This guy’s ridiculous. His laugh is weird. His painting is silly. Red giggled. This whole situation is just nuts. He started laughing with him. Their joyful voices echoed through the hallways, making every piggy around think that these two are such weirdos.

They didn’t actually know what was so funny, but they tired themselves out laughing.  
“Come on,” Leonard sighed happily, “We’re almost there.” And with that, they walked to the studio room.


	8. Performance

The red bird and green pig smiled their way toward the castle’s music studio. Once the doors opened, Red cocked his head and looked around, like an explorer discovering a new land.

The room was indeed smaller than Swine Sound Studios, but the instruments over there were all tucked away in the corners and covered. Here, they were all over the place. There was a big setup of round boxes with golden disks. There were gold tube things that looked like funnels on the end scattered around. And there were lots of guitars hanging on the walls. Some of them were oddly shaped and didn’t even have holes in the middle!

“Are all of these...instruments?” Red asked slowly, as if trying to process all of this.

“Yeah, we got trumpets and guitars and drums.” Leonard gestured to each item in the room as he spoke. Red’s brows furrowed in confusion as he walked over to the drum kit. “Drums?” he questioned. “I’ve heard of bongos, but this?” He knocked on the snare drum a few times and twiddled with the cymbals. Such peculiar sounds came out of them, nothing like he had ever heard.

“Yeah, you just take the sticks and hit the drums and the cymbals.” The pig explained, watching as the cardinal put down his acoustic guitar and picked up the drumsticks. He started tapping all around the drum kit, discovering what sound came out of each piece. He was like a kid in a candy store. Well, if the kid was finding out what candy was for the first time.

After playing around with the drums a few times, Red asked about the guitars without holes in them.

“They’re electric guitars.” Leonard answered.

“What does that mean?”

“Umm…” Now the pig really wished he knew more about instruments. “I think you plug it in or something? I’ll have to get someone to come in and show you. You seem excited.”

Red gave a little sideways smile. “I guess it’s my turn to be amazed at the pigs’ inventions. I was kind of mad at you the first time you showed us cool stuff.”

“Oh,” Leonard remembered, cringing a little. “At the banquet?”

“Yeah, when I was mad at you for breaking my house and then you slingshotted me and then I hit my head on a rock.” 

“Oh geez. I’m really sorry about that, Red.” he said softly. Something told him that their truce didn’t really hit home for the bird, so he decided to clear it up now, more personally. “I, uh, did a lot of bad stuff before. But we’ve come a long way since then. I hope you can forgive me.”

Red looked down. How could he forgive him? He tricked them, stole their eggs, and tried to eat them! But Chuck and Bomb said to let go of all that. Still, he wasn’t one to trust people easily. Ugh, he was so confused. Not to mention that no one had ever apologized to him before. All of the birds at school who made fun of him...they never said sorry or even acknowledged their actions. They just started acting a bit nicer in adulthood, or at least pretended to. Red didn’t even know _how_ to accept an apology.

“Uh..let’s just get on with the performance.” He put the drumsticks down and grabbed his guitar. “Where should I sit?”

“Oh um, here.” Leonard pointed to the couch against the wall. “I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Let me know if you need anything.”

“I think I’m good.” Red sat on the couch and exhaled. “Let’s get this over with,” he thought, getting some last-minute jitters.

Leonard pulled up a chair a bit away from him and set all of his kingly attire aside. He sat with his back straight and his hands on his thighs, trying to stay as neutral as possible to keep Red from being nervous.

“Here I go,” Red stated awkwardly. But once he hit the first chord, everything fell into place.

“Don’t have to leave this town to see the world  
Because there’s something I gotta do  
I don’t wanna look back in 30 years  
And wonder who you’re married to…”

He sang slightly off pitch, but those small imperfections were easy to ignore. Some parts of the song actually worked well with his deep voice, sending a sweet sound through the piggy’s ears. He strummed his guitar perfectly, managing to always hit the right strings with those feathered wings of his. 

To any normal person, this performance was mediocre at best. But to Leonard, it was magic.

“I don’t wanna live without you, I don’t wanna even breathe  
I don’t wanna dream about you, Wanna wake up with you next to me  
I don’t wanna go down any other road now  
I don’t wanna love nobody but you  
Looking in your eyes now if I had to die now, I don’t wanna love nobody but you”

He strummed the final chords and looked up for the first time since he started the song. Leonard was looking at him with a small, gentle smile, staring so sweetly at Red.

They gazed in each other's eyes for a moment, a slight blush forming on both of their faces, until Leonard caught himself. “Oh!” The pig started clapping. “That was great, Red!”

A smile formed on the cardinals beak. “Thanks.” He said genuinely, finally accepting one of his compliments.

“You must have practiced all night.”

“Yeah, Bomb and Chuck helped me out with that.” He was sure grateful for his friends.

“Well, that was a fantastic performance, I really enjoyed it. How about I reward your efforts? What do you like to do for fun? Ooh, would you like to go see some more art?”

Red thought about it for a moment. “I would, actually.”

“Excellent!” Leonard got up, ready to guide the bird through the castle. “You can leave your guitar here and come back for it later. Come on, these walls are just beaming with history.” He hopped out of his seat, excited about finally showing off all of his family’s fancy things, which actually have interesting stories behind them. They were interesting to him anyway, tales passed down from generation to generation, and he was sure Red would like them, too.

The bird set down his guitar and walked over to the pig’s side, kind of looking forward to his personal tour and completely forgetting his original plan to “find out what the pigs were up to”. He finally just let himself enjoy something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're curious about the song, it's called "Nobody But You" sung by Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani. Thanks for reading!


	9. The Tour

Red and Leonard traveled through many floors and hallways throughout the castle. Their first stop was the collection of staffs that Mudbeards throughout the ages have used. Some were golden with various pig shapes on the end, like Leonard’s, while others were silver with sparkling rubies and diamonds on the tip.

“Waoh, these are very shiny.” He had to place his wing over his eyes to shield from the sunlight reflecting off the staffs. “What are they used for?”

“It’s all part of the outfit,” said Leonard, shielding his eyes as well. “We just wave them around to look kingly. Sometimes we bonk our servants on the head if they do something dumb.”

Red giggled. If he bonked everyone on Bird Island who acted foolishly, the whole island would be in a coma. 

“Let’s move on, it’s very bright in here.” Leonard led the cardinal to the next gallery, which was a hallway of busts depicting “Pigstorical Figures.”

“Another pun?” Red joked.

“Are you surprised?” The two laughed, and then Leonard began explaining the gallery. “In here we’ve got people like Pigcent Ham Gogh, Tenderliono Da Vinci, Pigola Tesla, Coboarnicus, Hogrates, and Abraham Lincoln.” He pointed around as they walked past the busts. 

“Hey, what’s this one?” Red pointed towards a blocky sculpture with crazy anatomy. One eye was too far down, his snout was off to the side, and the ears were nowhere near where they are supposed to be.

“That’s Pigcasso. He was...quite a character. He’s art’s real blocky and weird, he created a style called cubism. Pretty unique, that’s for sure.”

“Like an art style? Called cubism?”

“Yep.”

Red thought for a moment. “You guys have different art styles?”

“Of course! And different music styles and book genres. People like different stuff.” The pig explained the obvious concept and gazed at the confused bird.

“We only have one type of anything on Bird Island. All the art is either Mighty Eagle or court sketches or pictures of smiling birds. All the music is either the traditional chanting stuff or whatever Stella’s flock makes.” He looked down and sighed. “And we’re all supposed to be happy all the time.” A hoof landed on his shoulder, causing him to snap out of it. “I mean, we were! Judge Peckinpah hasn’t given me any trouble since I became the savior of the town.” The bird walked away, trying to play it off.

“Who’s this?” He pointed towards a bust that was covered in lines, which gave it a unique look and texture.

The pig walked over, hiding his concern for Red, and went on as normal. “That’s Pigcent Ham Gogh. He used a bunch of lines in his art instead of just painting it on smoothly.”

As they continued the tour, Leonard couldn’t help but wonder how the inhabitants of Bird Island treated Red. He just didn’t seem happy there.

“Where to next?” The bird asked after they saw all of the busts. He’s been eagerly listening this whole time, like he actually enjoys learning all of this art and history stuff. It’s adorable.

“Well,” Leonard smirked, “I think you’ll love this next gallery.”

“What is it? Just a bunch of pictures of you?” The cardinal asked sarcastically.

“Oh, you'd like that?” 

“What? No! I was joking!” The bird quickly defended himself.

“Sure you were.” Leonard had a huge grin on his face, being the victor of yet another sarcastic comment battle, and Red couldn’t help but smile too. It was the same type of fun they had during their prank wars, when they kept trying to one-up each other. 

“Well,” they turned the corner and Leonard raised his arms towards the wall, “It actually is a bunch of pictures of me!”

“What?! But there’s already a tapestry of you in every hallway!” Red gestured back towards the other hallway and then paused. “Oh, they’re baby pictures.” He walked over to get a closer look while Leonard tagged slowly behind, randomly thinking that he wouldn’t mind putting up a few tapestries of Red around.

The cardinal chuckled softly. “These are pretty cute.” he said, staring at images of Leonard as a piglet in his crib, crawling, taking his first steps, and such. He walked down the gallery, observing the pig’s growth. There’s a picture of him on the swings, one playing with Ross’s ears - Wait, how old is Ross? - and in the middle of all, a huge portrait of Leonard as a toddler sitting on the lap of a mean-looking pig who wore a tall crown and red cape.

“Who’s this?” he asked, although he could probably already guess who it was.

“My dad.” Leonard gave a tired sigh and stared at the portrait, lost in thought. Something told Red that he wasn’t particularly fond of his father. He looked back at the portrait. All his life, he’s been dreaming about having parents, but it never occurred to him that you could end up with a bad one. Wait. “Where’s your mom?” he asked, hoping it wasn’t too touchy a subject.

The pig looked down and for a moment Red was afraid he shouldn't have asked, but he spoke. “She, uh, she left us when I was really young. I don’t know why, but it ended up being just me and my dad, who was not the nicest person...” Red had never seen Leonard sad before. He placed his wing on his shoulder and suddenly the pig played it off. He looked up and gave a small smile, “Eh, it’s alright.” He waved his hoof to show it was nothing. “I ended up finding a better father figure anyway. One day I was going around town and found myself apprenticing a used car salesman.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a person who manipulates people into paying a lot of money for cars.”

“That explains a lot.” Red joked, sending the two of them giggling.

“Let’s move on to the next gallery.” Leonard offered, feeling much better.

The bird nodded, and they left the hallway.


	10. Leaving

Every hallway had purple curtains with a gold pig nose pattern on it, as well as many tapestries with the current king on them. Some tapestries had other images on them, like the ones near the kitchen. As the pair walked across a raised corridor on the way to the courtyard, Red looked down and noticed huge fabric fork and spoon decorations near a familiar door. He remembered the piggy guards that used to stand there. Chuck had used his speed to get them out of the way, and then they all rushed in to save the eggs.

Looking back at those moments, he was reminded that the pigs couldn’t be trusted. He agreed to come here so he could find out their secret evil plan, but all he’s been doing is singing and admiring their art. But no matter how much he enjoyed the galleries and the weird instruments, he couldn’t get attached to this place. Or Leonard, for that matter. Red told himself that this next art exhibit would be his last one before he calls it quits today. Hopefully he will get another chance to find out what they’re up to.

Leonard led the cardinal out into the courtyard and through the grass. 

“Uh, Leonard, this is a lot of walking.” Red noted as he looked around for a secret lair or something.

“Yeah, but you’ll find a little walking worth it when you see this.” Finally, they arrived at a large gate that Leonard had to unlock, pulling the keys out of nowhere. Once the doors swung open, Red’s beak dropped. Before him was a large secret garden full of blooming flowers and lush plants. Trimmed berry bushes created a path that led to different statues, each surrounded by bundles of flowers, some that Red had never even seen before.

“Welcome to the Writer’s Garden! It’s a secret place in honor of some of pigstory’s greatest authors, and a great place to just get away from it all when you need to.” Leonard winked at the bird, who was speechless. He placed his hoof around his guest’s shoulder and guided him along the path towards the first statue. It was a full-body, marble sculpture of a female pig. She wore a long off-shoulder dress and was surrounded by bursting angelicas, bright red begonias, and colorful marigolds.

“This is Mary Shelley,” the pig explained, “She wrote a book called Frankenpig and now kids dress up as Frankenpig every year for Hamoween.”

“Wow.” Red studied detailed sculpture and how the different colored flowers framed her. The pigs sure knew how to create a pretty scene. It’s such a shame they couldn’t be trusted. That reminds him, he really should be going. After the next sculpture, he’ll leave. 

Red admired the garden with mixed feelings as the two moved on to the next statue. This one was a male pig in a suit, who was in the midst of queen-of-night tulips, arabian-night dahlias, and black baccara roses. It was a stark contrast against the rest of the garden, which was full of color, and this intrigued Red very much.

“This is Edgar Allan Pig. He wrote lots of spooky poems, which is why the flowers are all dark.”

“That’s kind of cool, actually.” the bird had to admit. He wondered if the other flowers had meanings as well, but he wouldn’t come back to find out. He needed to stop enjoying this tour so much. He shouldn’t be so close to the enemy. Just one more sculpture, then he’ll leave.

The next one was a man in a weird puffy outfit amongst white gardenias, different colored hyacinths, and blooming irises. He was holding up a skull for some reason.

“This is William Shakespig. He wrote really famous plays.”

“Plays?” Red’s head popped up.

“You like theater?”

“I do actually. I’ve seen a few plays that Stella and her flock put on…”

“What kind of plays are those?”

“Oh, they’re always just happy all the time. There’s some small problem and they solve it with the power of friendship.” He looked down and suddenly remembered something. “But recently they started plays about saving Bird Island, so that’s nice.”

“Hmm, don’t like happy stuff, eh? Well, I’ve got the perfect play for you then. It was actually written by Shakespig.”

“What’s it about?”

“Well, it’s a really sad play about a prince- but we remodeled it to be a comedy. And there’s no happy ending.”

“No happy ending? Is that even legal?” The cardinal joked.

“Yup!” Leonard laughed. “How about you come back tomorrow and we could watch it. There’s a nice theater in Pig City that shows plays all the time.”

Uh oh. Red couldn’t do yet another thing he liked with Leonard, he was already getting too attached. And he can’t find out any secrets if they’re going to be away from the castle.

“Um, I can’t really make it tomorrow. In fact, I kind of have to go now.” He started slowly backing away.

“Oh,” Leonard frowned. “Some other time then?”

“Sure,” Red was already out of the garden.

“Um, alright then. Bye!” Leonard hollard at the leaving bird. “I had a good time today.” He didn’t bother yelling anymore, the cardinal already left. 

Hmm, he ran off quite unexpectedly. Leonard decided that he must have just remembered something he had to do. Red had seemed to enjoy the tour, which made the pig smile again.

Taking one last look at Shakespig, he locked up the garden and went back inside the castle. He found himself retracing the tour that he had just given, making a quick pass through the different galleries until stopping at the door to the studio. Peeking inside to remember Red’s sweet performance, he noticed an acoustic guitar on the couch. It looks like Red forgot to get it back.

The pig went in and picked it up, taking a good look at it for the first time. The guitar looked handmade, with silk-like strings and a few odd notches here and there. He noticed that different types of wood were used and that Red had engraved intricate patterns of leaves and flowers onto it. He was certainly the creative type. 

Bringing the guitar to his room, Leonard made a mental note to return it tomorrow. And with that, he went to sleep.


	11. Guitarella

Leonard woke up with the view of Red’s guitar leaning against his bedroom wall. The first thing he was going to do is return it, after a big breakfast of course. Once he finished devouring a large plate of food, he hopped in his fancy car and headed towards Pig City Harbor. Ross hummed a tune while Leonard stared out the window, leaning his face on his hoof, when suddenly a large sign caught his eye.

“Hey Ross,” he spoke to the driving pig, “Let’s make a stop here for a second.”

The pig swiveled over to park. “He could only be getting a gift for Red.” Ross thought, watching the king stroll over to the music store with a smile on his face. He looked into the rear-view mirror and spotted the bird’s guitar. “This is getting out of hand.” Ross muttered while shaking his head.

A while later, Leonard came back and the rest of the ride was quiet apart from the king shuffling around with whatever he bought. Finally, they made it to the harbor and Leonard transitioned into the Porkchop Express. After some smooth sailing, he landed his hooves on the sand and made his way towards Red’s place. Looking around, he noticed a few pigs and eagles amongst the birds. Just around a month ago they were still in prank wars, but look at the place now! So at peace....

Leonard made it to the oddly shaped home, with wooden spikes across it and a few cactus plants out front. He knocked on the door, and a few moments later Red popped out. Suddenly, the bird’s eyes widened and he slammed the door shut. Confused, Leonard knocked once more. This time the cardinal quickly pulled him into the house.

“Leonard! What are you doing here?!” Red raised his arms in frustration.

“I’m just returning your guitar. I got you a new case for it, to protect it.” He pointed towards the sleek and sturdy guitar case in his hoof, a big grin under his snout.

“Oh,” Red’s face softened, taking the item from the pig. “Um, thank you. That’s...very nice.” He shook his head and set the guitar down. “But you can’t stay here. Chuck and Bomb are about to be here soon and-” Red was interrupted but a knock on the door. “Aw, pluck my life. Quickly, get out the back window!” He started shoving the pig away, which had little effect.

“I don’t mind seeing your friends, Red. I never formally met them, why don’t you introduce me?” Leonard smiled at the bird who was practically half his size, who’s pushing wasn’t doing anything.

“No, no, no! They already accused me of dating you, they CANNOT see you here.”

“Dating me?” Now the pig was intrigued. Another knock came from the door, followed by a muffled “Red? Are you in there?” from Chuck.

“Leonard, please!” Red whispered in frustration.

The pig smirked, ready to take advantage of the situation. “Fine, but you have to come see a play with me tomorrow.” 

Red raised an angry eyebrow, looked back at the door, and sighed. “Ugh, fine! Now leave!”

Leonard chuckled. “Meet me at the harbor tomorrow,” he whispered and climbed through the window. But about halfway through, he got stuck. He shuffled and squirmed, but couldn’t get through.

“Oh, for crying out loud…” Red struggled to push the pig’s rear end out. Right on time, Leonard squeezed out as the front door flew open.

“Red, are you okay?” Bomb asked as he and Chuck walked in. “Why didn’t you answer the door?”

“Oh, um..I was just, uh, watching a really interesting movie and couldn’t hear the door.” As Red told his lie, Leonard snuck away back to the Porkchop Express. 

“What movie?” Chuck asked with his hand on his hip.

“Um…Sonic the Roadrunner. Anyway, did you guys have any plans for what you want to do today?” 

“No, I’m down for whatever.” Bomb eyed the enclosed guitar leaning on the wall. “I see you got a new case! It looks nice.”

“Thanks…” Red felt a slight blush coming on.

“Hey, how did the song go? Did you perform it? Was it good?” Bomb asked.

“Yeah, it was good.” The cardinal replied, remembering his performance back at the castle and how he’d looked into Leonard’s eyes afterwards. Thinking about it made Red blush even more, which sent a rush of mixed feeling over him. In an attempt to close that memory for good, he walked over to put his guitar in the closet. While picking it up, he noticed that the case had an open pocket with something inside. He reached into it and pulled out the mysterious item. It was a Bacon Shelton record.

Chuck ran over immediately. “Hey, what’s that?” He stuck his long beak over Red’s shoulder and into his personal space to inspect the foreign object. “It’s some kind of record.” Chuck answered his own question.

“Who’s Bacon Shelton?” Bomb asked, walking over.

“He’s a famous singer on Pig Island. He wrote the song that I practiced with you guys.” Red stared at the record, suddenly curious about the other songs on it. “Hey, you guys want to give it a listen?”

His buddies agreed, and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking and listening to sweet country tunes.


	12. It's Chuck Time

Going over to Red’s place yesterday, the roadrunner could have sworn he saw a large pig butt sticking out from the window. Not to mention Red was obviously lying about “watching an interesting movie and not being able to hear the door.” He said he was watching Sonic The Roadrunner, but that movie hasn’t even come out yet. Besides, his voice and body language were not convincing at all. Red was not a good liar.

Throughout his entire time at the cardinal’s house, Chuck was picking up every clue he could find, from the new guitar case to the lie to the piggy rump in the window. Oh yes, that bird was definitely up to something.

“So Bomb,” Chuck was walking with his buddy towards Matilda’s place. Bomb had agreed to babysit her kids while she went on a date with Terence. “Red’s been acting a little suspicious lately.”

“Yeah, I noticed it, too. But I don’t think we should bother him about it. It seems like a sensitive topic.”

“Exactly. It’s a sensitive topic, which means he’ll never tell us about it! We have to find out for ourselves.” The roadrunner’s tail wagged at the mischievous plan forming in his head.

Bomb turned to his friend. “Chuck, please be patient. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

Chuck gave a heavy, dramatic sigh. “Fine!” Bomb was usually right about these things. He wasn’t very smart, but he knew how to care for his friends.

The birds arrived at Matilda’s place and knocked on the door of her sweet little round home. A quite disheveled and tired looking couple answered the door.

“Bomb, thank goodness you’re here!” Matilda exclaimed while Terrence grunted approvingly. “Are you sure you’ll be fine with the kids? They’re quite a handful.” Indeed, her kids have grown to be rowdy little children. They’re lovely, but they can’t go five minutes without drawing all over the walls, knocking down vases, or using a rope to try to swing across the room.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them! You two deserve a break.” Bomb assured the couple.

“Umm,” Matilda eyed the yellow bird, “Is Chuck going to be helping you?” Her voice wavered a bit, obviously not liking the idea of the speedster watching her children.

“Nope! I promised to meet Silver for lunch today.” Chuck said, making Matilda sigh in relief.

“Well, Terrence and I will be going then.” And with that, the couple went off on their date while Bomb and Chuck waved them off.

“I should go, too.” The roadrunner said as his friend entered the house.

“See you later, buddy!” Bomb waved and closed the door.

“Bye!” Chuck giggled to himself. His lunch with Silver was actually a few days ago, but Bomb was none the wiser. He sped over to Red’s house and snuck a peek through the back window. It looks like Red’s getting ready to go somewhere. Perfect!

Chuck watched as the cardinal left through the front door, looking grumpy as always with his resting bird face. He walked towards the beach, at a pace that was way too slow for the impatient roadrunner that was following him. But Chuck had to stay hidden in order for this to work. He sighed internally and watched as Red hoisted himself into a slingshot and over to Piggy Island.

“Ooh ha ha!” Now things are getting good! Chuck wagged his tail and retraced the cardinal’s steps. Once at Pig City Harbor, he hid behind various boxes and barrels to keep his eye on his target. Suddenly, he heard the voice of a familiar pig nearby.

“Red, glad you could make it!” Leonard entered the scene with a big grin on his face. “You ready to go?”

“Yep,” Red crossed his arms and leaned his hip out sassily, “Let’s get this over with.”

Leonard chuckled and talked to the bird as they entered the car. This was more Chuck’s speed. Still pretty slow, but more his speed. As he chased the car, he wished that he could hear what they were talking about in there. At least he could see that Red seemed comfortable around the pig, which made Chuck giggled like a reporter getting the scoop on a juicy story.  
As the car slowed to a stop, the roadrunner hid behind a trash can and watched as Red and Leonard entered a big theatre. The overhead sign read “Now showing: Hamlet by Shakespig”. Chuck easily snuck in by taking one pig’s drink and spilling it all over the security guards. Messing with others was his favorite pastime, after all. 

Once inside, the pair took a seat in the back row, which was the highest viewpoint. Fortunately for Chuck, the light had just dimmed to signify that the play was about to begin. He sat down a few rows away from his targets and kept his eyes on them...for a short while.

“Who’s there?”

“Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.”

The first piggy actors spoke and Chuck’s eyes were permanently glued to the stage. He’d always enjoyed piggy movies and stuff, and this play was hilarious! The main prince kept making a fool of himself and there were a ton of visual gags. The roadrunner kept laughing right until the end when the curtains fell, and suddenly he remembered his spy mission. He quickly turned around but the back row was empty.

Oh well, at least this confirms what Chuck had thought all along: Red is dating a pig! He was hoping to see a kiss, but this was fine too. His tail wagged a little, excited to tell Bomb the news. He got up and casually left the theatre.

“Chuck?”

The roadrunner froze in place as he heard his cardinal friend call his name.


	13. Discouraged

“Chuck?”

The roadrunner froze in place as he heard his cardinal friend call his name. “Oh shoot, maybe I should not have spied on him?” He thought to himself for a second. “Nah, it was definitely worth it.”

Red’s hands balled into fists and his eyebrows furrowed down. “Chuck, what are you doing here?!” Leonard wasn’t with him, it seems they had said goodbye already.

“I-I was just seeing this hilarious play.” The yellow bird pointed at the theatre behind him and chuckled nervously.

“Uhuh. When did you start seeing pig plays?”

“Since always! Their movies are so good I thought seeing a play would be nice....” He avoided eye contact with his angry friend, who was not buying his lies.

“You weren’t spying on me, were you?” Red asked through clenched teeth.

“Whaaaaaat?” Chuck rolled his eyes dramatically. “Me? I would never do such a thing! Why would I spy on you? To finally prove that you’re dating a pig and confirm what a great sleuth I am?” He simply couldn’t resist showing off, but Red’s eyebrows became angrier and his feathers began to puff up. 

“Oops.” Chuck muttered. “Welp, it was nice seeing you around. Bye!” And with that, he sped off to the nearest slingshot, hearing an angry “CHUUUUCK!” as he ran. 

Red felt his face getting hotter. He felt utterly betrayed, and very embarrassed. Not only had his so-called best friend spied on him behind his back, but he saw him with Leonard. He had no idea what Chuck heard them say, but now he was never going to let go of the idea that he’s dating Leonard.

The cardinal looked around and noticed many pigs staring at him. Knowing that he had caused a scene only made him more embarrassed, so he covered his face and stomped out of there as quickly as he could. Once he reached the harbor’s slingshot, he curled himself up and flung towards Bird Island. The beautiful ocean view below him had no effect on his crappy mood. Once his talons reached the sand, he kept his eyes downward and stomped to his spiky home. 

Bomb was also on his way to Red’s place for a friendly visit. While he was almost there, he spotted the cardinal walking over with a scowl.

“Hi Red!” Bomb called out, causing Red to steer his focus from the sand up at him. He held a stern expression for a moment, until his eyebrows furrowed back down in anger.

“Ugh, were you in on this too?! Why couldn’t you just keep your beaks to yourself!” He raised his arms in frustration and entered his house, slamming the door behind him.

Bomb was startled to receive such a rude greeting, but he never held a grudge against his friends. In fact, he might have an idea why his crimson friend is so angry. Concerned, he made his way towards Chuck’s house.

___________________________________

After saying bye to Red back at the theater, Leonard hopped into his car to be driven to the castle. With a satisfied grin on his face, he stared out the window and thought about the day’s events. The play was hilarious, and Red’s comments made it even better. “His constant sarcasm and sassiness is just remarkable,” the pig thought to himself, “It’s almost charming…”

As Ross checked the left side mirror to get onto the road, he noticed a red shape going further away. Leonard had been spending time with that bird again. Ross peeked at the rear-view mirror and noticed the king grinning like an idiot. This has gone on long enough.

Ross cleared his throat to get Leonard’s attention, with no luck. He tried again, louder this time. “Ahem! Your highness?”

“You okay there, Ross? It sounds like you got a cough.”

“I have something to speak to you about,” the driver said sternly.

“What is it?” Leonard asked, still staring out of the window.

“It’s about that bird you keep spending time with.”

“Red.” The king sat up and looked at Ross. “What about him?”

“Well, you’ve been with him a lot lately. And spending time with him in the castle or the private studio is one thing, but going out in public with him? People are going to start getting ideas.”

Leonard didn’t say anything. He only looked down in contemplation, remembering that Red’s friends already thought they were dating. “Can you imagine?” the pig thought to himself. “Me dating Red?” A small smile instinctively krept on his face.

“I’m afraid you’re getting too attached to him, your highness. I mean, what would your father think?”

The mention of his dad wiped the smile off of Leonard’s face. Indeed, he would have been furious to see his son being nice to the birds instead of stealing their eggs, let alone seeing him being so chummy with one.

“And what about your subjects? They would be very confused to see their king being so close to a bird, some of them might even be angry. There could be a rebellion!”

Leonard sighed. He always held a soft spot for his subjects. They weren’t very bright, but seeing his dad be such a selfish king made him want to be better for them. He had that responsibility as a king, and Ross was right. A pig dating a bird, that’s simply unheard of.

“I-I don’t know what I was thinking.” Leonard looked down and drooped his shoulders, suddenly feeling very tired.

“So you will, uh, close things off with him, yes?” Ross looked pleadingly at the pig behind him.

“Yes.”


	14. Separate Ways

It’s been about an hour and a half since sunrise, Red noted. All this time, he had refused to get out of his nest, instead retreating further into it and engulfing himself in his blanket. The events of the day before were still fresh in his mind. He started off quite cautious going to meet Leonard, but that pig knew how to charm someone into letting their guard down. He was quite dumb but also smart? And Red hated him but also...No. He can’t let himself get attached. 

The betrayal still stung him. Throughout his life, he had grown independent and a little defensive and untrusting. Then he met Bomb and Chuck, who turned out to be good friends who actually cared about him. He trusted them. At least he thought he could.

Red popped his head out of his blanket and looked around. His eyes stopped at the Leonard plush that sat on his table, which Chuck fished out after it was thrown out of the window. It had stayed on the table ever since.

Red stared at the stuffed pig. “I can’t possibly trust him,” he thought, “Or anyone else for that matter. Anyone could just snap my heart in two.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Everything’s been so backwards lately, Red wouldn’t be surprised if it was Judge Peckinpah coming to send him back to anger management class. He reluctantly shuffled his blanket to the side and rolled out of his nest, plopping facefirst onto the ground. He turned his body to face the ceiling and shuffled along the floor. He’s done this before, but he felt even crummier this time around.

He opened the door and looked up to find Leonard standing over him with a bouquet of flowers. 

“What’s this?” Red asked as he slowly got up.

“It’s...to help you get a date.”

“What?” The bird was confused, and a bit hurt for some reason. “Leonard, I’m really not in the mood for this now.”

“No, no, no. That’s quitter attitude.” The pig rudely let himself in. “This all started with that. I promised to help you get a date so that’s what I’m going to do.”

“No Leonard, you don’t understand-” 

“How about that silver girl that we saved the world from the eagles with?” Leonard interrupted. His comment put a large frown on the bird, who just stared at the ground speechless. Suddenly, a wave of terrible feelings arose and mixed with his current emotions.

Leonard turned and saw that same face that he saw on the harbour. Seeing Red so upset pulled at his heart strings, but he can’t let that get to him. He turned away and cleared his throat. “Umm, maybe not her then. How about another bird? Do you have a specific one in mind?” he asked, looking away.

Red balled his hands into fists and scrunched his face. The breakup, the betrayal, and whatever his deal with Leonard was just became too much. “Leonard. Just go,” he angrily muttered. 

“Oh, come on. With the right flirting technique-“

“Leonard.”

“-you can knab anyone you want!”

“Leonard!”

“Come on! Why don’t you just let me help you? No wonder you’re all alone. You’re so stubborn!” The pig finally turned to find tears rolling down the crimson bird’s cheeks. A small “oh no” escaped his mouth as he stared at Red, who was so visibly frustrated and upset. 

“Red…” Leonard lifted his hoof towards him but was smacked away quickly.

“Just get out of here, Leonard! Leave and never come back!” Red screamed furiously and pointed out the door.

“I…” The pig wanted to object and apologize, but he knew this was for the best. He set the flowers down on a table and dragged himself home.

The cardinal slammed the door and looked at the flowers. He thought for a moment about how he felt about Leonard, how he had come to slightly trust him and slightly like him. Red didn’t have to push him away…

He shook his head, brushing away all of those thoughts. Then he grabbed the bouquet, threw it on the ground, and started stomping all over them. After that outburst, it was time to go sulk again. Now he felt even worse than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the delay- a lot has been going on- and I'm also sorry for throwing this sad chapter at you. Don't worry, more chapters are coming and things will get better! :)


	15. Throne Room

Leonard dragged his feet across the sand, feeling so conflicted. He was supposed to break things off with Red. This is good! But it didn’t feel that way. He felt like such a cruddy person for yelling and pushing the whole dating thing at him. He was a great, self-respecting bird, after all. Maybe the pig shouldn’t have meddled in the first place…

Ross had driven to the harbor to pick up Leonard, who quietly stepped into the backseat and stared out of the window. The driver cleared his throat to get the king’s attention. “Um, did you close things off with Red, your highness?” He looked pleadingly at him through the rearview mirror.

“Yes,” Leonard sighed.

Ross simply nodded and the rest of the car ride was silent. As they approached the castle, Leonard looked up at the massive property he owned. He had always been so proud of it. The size, the decor, the tapestries of himself. These all brought him joy, a little tingle of narcissism, but the castle didn’t have the same effect today. It just felt...empty.

Once the car was parked, Ross gave a “Have a good day, your highness!” as they went off to do their own thing. The king just huffed out a sound in reply and made his way towards the throne room. That place usually made him feel better. 

He took a seat in his large, ornate throne and looked around. It was a grand space, with intricate tapestries, fine architectural decor, and a velvet carpet leading up to the throne. Sitting here could really make a person feel special, but Leonard couldn’t shake this empty feeling. He scanned further and noticed a lowly cabbage among a pile of other gifts he received as king. As insignificant as this cabbage might seem, it brought back memories. 

When Leonard was a piglet, his mother left the family, leaving him with a less-than-perfect father, to say the least. A few years later, his father only grew madder, and he actually married a cabbage. Yup, he put a little dress on it and had a ceremony and everything. It’s embarrassing to think about, but it also made Leonard realize something. Mudbeards have always been kind of jerks, which is why his father ended up alone and desperate enough to marry a vegetable. And now Leonard was no exception. His actions landed him alone in this big empty throne room.

The pig sighed. Suddenly, Ross’s words popped into his mind: “Spending time with him in the castle or the private studio is one thing, but going out in public with him? People are going to start getting ideas.”

Ross was right. Being with Red so much might stir up some odd looks, maybe even some snotty comments. But when did Leonard give a hoof? He was a king, after all - a confident one! When did he ever listen to anyone else? Never! When did he ever care about the opinions of others? Never! Well, he only cared about what one person had to say…

Leonard sat up and spoke aloud. 

“I have to apologize to Red!”


	16. Friendship

After burning the flowers, taking multiple naps, and generally sulking around all day, Red felt...the same. He felt tired and cynical and angry and betrayed. He thought, after meeting Chuck and Bomb and gaining the town’s admiration, that he would never feel this alone again.

That begs the question: Is it his fault? He knew Chuck could often invade personal boundaries, but maybe he was too hard on him? After all, they had been through so much together…

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He didn’t feel like socializing today. Besides, the last time he opened that door created a disaster that made him feel even worse than before. So Red decided he wasn’t going to approach this time. 

Another knock came, more rapidly this time, as if someone was desperate to come in. Red still wasn’t going to open the door. He just crossed his arms and wished for whoever it was to go away. Suddenly, he heard a swooshing noise and looked up to see the yellow speedster himself by the window, wagging his tail and looking adorably excited to see him. He stood there, as if waiting for permission to come in, but Red wasn’t having it. He just turned his chair around to face away, which turned Chuck’s smile upside down.

Chuck sighed. “Red, I’m sorry I spied on you.”

Red pushed back his instinct to look back at Chuck. He shouldn’t give his heart up to be broken again.

“Bomb told me not to. He said to let you tell us at your own pace, but I’m just such an impatient bird. It’s a weakness of mine, but if it’s going to ruin our friendship, it wasn’t worth it. I’m really sorry.”

Red let the roadrunner’s words sink in. “Let you tell us at your own pace…” Now he understood. Red wasn’t going to tell them that he was hanging out with Leonard, so Chuck resorted to spying. All three of them had spied during their missions before, so being sneaky was kind of their thing. This was all no excuse to invade his privacy, but still...He just thought Chuck wanted to embarrass him.

Bomb had come over beside his yellow friend. “Hey, Red. We missed you these past few days. Chuck promises to never spy on you again. Don’t you Chuck?”

“Mhmm mhmm!” Chuck nodded rapidly. “Oh. You can’t see, Red, but I’m nodding. Please let’s be friends again!”

“Can we come in?” Bomb asked.

Red sighed. He did miss his friends. He looked down and contemplated what to do.

“Are you okay, Red?” Bomb asked, getting worried.

“Yeah…” Red muttered, too melancholy for comfort. 

“Oh, just say we can come in so I can hug you already!” Chuck hopped up and down.

“Fi-” Red started but couldn’t even finish before his yellow friend ran over and squeezed him tight. Bomb came over at his own pace as well, and in the arms of his friends, Red almost forgot what he was mad about in the first place. 

“Soooooooooo, are you ever going to tell us what’s going on with Leonard?” Chuck asked cheekily.

“Chuck!” Bomb exclaimed.

“I’m just asking! If you don’t want to tell us, I won’t bother you. I’m just reaaaaallly curious. Please, Red?” The yellow bird was being his dramatic self again, but Red didn’t mind as much this time.

The cardinal sighed, deciding he was just too tired to hide it anymore. “Nothing’s going on. I’ve just been...hanging out with him lately. But I don’t think I’ll be doing that anymore.” His friends caught the disappointment in his voice.

“Aw, why?” Chuck asked, trying to remain calm and gentle for him.

“We kind of had a fight…” He looked down, still feeling drained from all that’s happened these past days.  
Bomb placed a wing on the cardinal’s shoulder. “We’re here for you, buddy.” He leaned in and squeezed his two best friends again. Red rolled his eyes sarcastically and gave a slight smile, making the two birds beside him really happy to have their friend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh I know I'm posting really late- sorry! Progress has been slow with this but I'm still updating!


	17. Apologies All Around

Red woke up in his nest, with Chuck on the couch and Bomb on the floor. He smiled at his sleeping buddies. They were right, he really didn’t have to be alone. Although now that things have been patched up with his friends, his mind couldn’t help but wander over to Leonard. He actually had a good time with him in the studio and the castle and the theater...Maybe he even liked the guy? But before any of that, he wanted to know the pig’s true intentions.

All that can wait until later. He shuffled past his sleeping buddies to grab some seeds for breakfast. After chomping away quietly, he heard a knock at the door. “These are getting out of hand,” the red bird spoke to himself, “It’s like each knock is a whole new emotional bomb or something.” He glanced over at the sleeping Bomb and gave a joke apology for using his name.

Red walked over to the door and braced himself. He opened it to find Silver with her usual wide eyes and perky smile.

“Hi Red! How are you doing?” She chirped.

“Umm, I’m doing okay. Gotta admit your visit was kind of unexpected.” Right after he said that, he wondered when was the last time he actually expected a visitor rather than just having a surprise one.

“I just wanted to check in on you. I heard you didn’t take the breakup very well.” She tilted her head and gave a pity face, which felt more condescending than genuine.

“Oh, I’m doing well actually.” Red replied sassily.

“Good! You know, Chuck told me something about you having a boyfriend?” She leaned forward in anticipation, acting a lot like her brother right now.

Red gave a sarcastic little chuckle. “Ooooof course he did.” Honestly, he wasn’t even bothered by the accusation anymore. But Silver really didn’t have to be so nosy about it- it's like it runs in the family. 

“Uh, no,” he continued, “That rumor is, um, not true. Unfortunately...Don’t go spreading that around!” He brushed that off before he could have an internal crisis about why he said ‘unfortunately’.

“Ummm, does telling Stella’s flock about it qualify as ‘spreading it around’?” She asked with a big smile.

Red’s hands twitched a little, but he stopped before they balled into fists. “Yes, Silver, it does qualify.” He said through clenched teeth.

Silver put her hands behind her back and acted innocently, but she couldn't help but giggle. “Oh well, I’ll see you around then!”

She waved goodbye and went on her way. “I don’t remember why I was so into her…” The cardinal mumbled to himself. Turning around to head back inside, he caught a glimpse of something on the beach he used to live on. He had to squint to realize that it was a ship rolling in, which would have crushed his house if it was still there. You know, the usual. He pegged it as just another piggy ship coming in - they’ve been regularly visiting since the whole Eagle Island fiasco, which made him think about the first fight with his friends since the breakup. He was being stubbornly distrustful of the pigs, but it’s been almost two months and nothing’s happened. He doesn’t want to let his guard down completely, but maybe he should be a bit more open. Maybe.

Just as the bird was thinking of his internal dilemma, he noticed a green speck running on the beach. He squinted again and noticed that it looked sort of like Leonard, headed right towards him, which made him panic a bit. Even though he’s been thinking about Leonard basically all morning, he didn’t really want to see him right now. He shielded his eyes to pretend he didn’t see anything and started going back inside. 

“RED” A booming voice came from the beach.

The bird looked back, annoyed. He sighed and shut the door, waiting in front of his house for the pig to reach him.

“Red!” Leonard panted.

“Would you keep it down?! The whole island’s gonna hear you!” The cardinal whisper-yelled, remembering that his friends were still asleep.

“Red, I…” The pig stopped in front of him and bent down to catch his breath. “Ugh, running is not my strong suit. Anyway,” he got up and faced the bird, “I have something to tell you.” 

“Mhm.” Red raised an eyebrow, not really in the mood for this.

“I came to apologize. “

The bird gave an annoyed sigh. “Why do I get the feeling this apology’s going to be performative? I’m tired of all this back and forth! What do you want from me? Why do you keep coming back and inviting me places? Do you want to gain my trust to steal the eggs again or something?

“What?” Leonard was taken aback by that comment, a deep look of concern forming over his face. “Red, I would never do that again. I only did it because my family has been searching for the eggs for generations. But after that whole ordeal I realized why they mean so much to you and I get it - I mean, I would never want to put any piglets in danger,” he said softly, feeling hurt by the accusation.

Red remained silent, pondering over what he just heard.

“I thought we were good after that peace treaty, or at least after that Eagle Island adventure. Do you really think I’m still plotting against you? Do you think I’m...evil?”

The cardinal looked down, feeling guilty now. “I...No. I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t trust easy. And well, you being evil was kind of what got the island to finally accept me.” He went quiet, thinking to himself. Chuck’s words popped in his head again, “Did you see something, or do you just want to save the day again?” His friends were right. Red might just have to come to terms with the fact that he’s not the famous hero that everyone loves anymore, but with his friends by his side, he could live with being a normal bird.

Leonard interrupted his thoughts, speaking a little more firmly. “Accept you? They don’t treat you well here?”

“No, no!” Red blushed in embarrassment. “That’s not what I meant. The point is, I was being stubborn about it and...I’m sorry.” He exhaled deeply and let his shoulders drop. Admitting that was the right thing to do, even if it was really difficult.

The pig eased up and started to smile. “Funny, I thought I came here to apologize to you.”

The bird looked back at him and crossed his arms sassily. “Well? Go ahead.” He couldn’t help but smirk.

Leonard chuckled, happy to see Red being himself again. “Well,” his tone became a bit more serious, “I’m sorry for the whole dating thing. I may have pushed a little too far with that. You just looked...really sad at the harbor and I felt compelled to turn that around.”

The bird’s eyebrows raised slightly, before furrowing back down into a confused daze, shocked at the pig’s show of empathy. 

“And I apologize for those mean words I said to you. I was, uh,” he puzzled over how to phrase this, “...under pressure. And I didn’t mean what I said.”

“Under pressure?” the bird repeated.

“Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I hope we can go back to being at peace and, uh, spending time together.” Leonard’s voice sped up and went higher at that last bit.

“Uh, yeah.” Red agreed awkwardly. “Me too.”

There was silence between them, both of them looking away from each other. Red didn’t know what to add, while Leonard was having a bit of an internal crisis. He had something in his mind that he wanted to say, but he was really nervous about saying it, which had never happened before.

“I…um…”

Red looked back at what seemed like a frazzled Leonard. “Woah, woah, woah. Is that a frown on your face? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you not act all sly and confident.”

“Well, I...I have something to say, and I just don’t know how to say it.” The pig tapped his hooves together.

“What is it?” Red asked, suddenly getting worried. It was rare that Leonard was at a loss for words. 

Moments passed with the bird just staring at him as he fumbled with letting out what he wanted to say. Leonard told himself to just spit it out. Be a pig! Just say it! He felt like a time bomb ready to explode.

“I like you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so sweet! Thanks for being patient and continuing to follow the story <3


	18. A Soft Landing

“I like you.” Leonard spit it out casually, which was very anticlimactic considering how much effort it took just to blurt out those three words.

Red looked both terrified and confused. “Calm down,” he thought to himself, “Maybe it’s just a friendly pig thing to say.”

“Umm..I....like you, too?” the cardinal replied, a little panicked.

Leonard lit up, a smile spreading on his face. That brought his confidence back, so he cleared his throat and tried to regain control of this painfully awkward exchange. “I thought you might,” he said slyly, “Not everyone gets this close to the king, you know.”

Ah, conceited Leonard. Now that, he knows how to deal with. Red let his shoulders relax and prepared his comeback, “I don’t think anyone really wants to, considering how easy it is to get into your castle.”

“Oh, now you’re coming at my piggy guards, huh? You were supposed to take that as a compliment. It means you're special!” Leonard replied jokingly.

“I don’t need your ‘exclusivity’ to know that.” Red crossed his arms and smirked.

“Good.” The pig smiled, happy to see a confident Red. “I’ll see you around.”

“Yup, see you around.” the bird replied, beaming. They waved goodbye, happy to have completely recovered from the awkwardness from before and left on a good note. The cardinal even felt a new sense of peace. Not that his anxiety’s cured, but he’s coming to accept more of the state of things. Not to mention he just matched Leonard’s slyness. He’s always had a good time one-upping the pig. 

Red turned around and was immediately faced with his two buddies, smiling like idiots. He sighed heavily with a bored look on his face. “You heard everything didn’t you?”

“YES!!!” Chuck bounced around wildly. “I KNEW IT!”

“That was really sweet!” Bomb gushed.

Red hid his face in his hands while his friends freaked out.

“THEY SAID THEY LIKED EACH OTHER!!!”

”I know! It was so cute!” 

”They’re so awkward!!!” 

“They make such a cute couple!”

The cardinal was flushed with embarrassment, but couldn’t stop the smile on his face. “Thank goodness I have red feathers,” he thought to himself. 

“Alright guys enough,” he said, trying to calm them down. “Did you see how hard it was trying to get to that point? Let’s not jump too far, here.”  
“This calls for a celebration!” Chuck exclaimed. “Another Boys Night Out!”

“Yes!” Bomb agreed, “Anywhere you want to go, Red.”

“You do know a thing or two about Pig City now…” Chuck whispered sneakily.

Red shook his head, but was happy to have fun with his buddies again. Then, an unexpected knock came from the door. He turned around and opened it to find Leonard.

“Heh, hey again,” the pig said, “Umm, you wouldn’t have a way to get back to Piggy Island, would you? My ship is kind of...” They turned to the beach to find a ship on fire, with pigs running around it frantically and not helping at all. “Out of order..” he continued.

“Well,” Red glanced back at his friends, “We were just headed to Piggy Island for a Boys Night Out. Care to join us?”

“I’d love to!” Leonard beamed. 

He followed the birds to the beach and paused at the giant slingshot. “Wait, we’re riding that?” he complained.

“Of course!” said Chuck, “How else would we get there? We don’t all have fancy ships.”

“I don’t like flying through the air like that. It’s unnatural! And how do you land?” Leonard tried objecting but was pushed by the birds into the slingshot.

“What do you mean? You guys are the ones that invented it.” Red smiled as he pulled the band back.

“We didn’t build them to transport-AAAAAHHHH” the birds let go and laughed as the pig flew through the air.

“This is gonna be fun,” said Chuck.

“Yup,” Red agreed, “It is.”  
___________

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> A while ago I rewatched Angry Birds 2 on Netflix and read some fanfics, which inspired me to write this. I planned it to be much shorter than this- like 4 chapters or something- but I ended up having a good time writing this slow burn and fitting in some puns. I appreciate everyone who read this far, and hope it was a neat little story that people could enjoy. Thanks again!


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